You are here

Home » Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity

Protecting against Identity Theft

As the holidays draw near, many consumers turn to the internet to shop for goods and services. Although online shopping can offer convenience and save time, shoppers should be cautious online and protect personal information against identity theft. Identity thieves steal personal information, such as a credit card, and run up bills in the victim’s name. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages consumers to review the following tips to help reduce the risk of falling prey to identity theft:

INVT Electric VT-Designer (ICSA-18-333-01) – Product Used in the Energy Sector

The NCCIC has released an advisory on deserialization of untrusted data and heap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in INVT Electric VT-Designer. VT-Designer 2.1.7.31 is affected; other versions could also be affected. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could cause the program to crash and may allow remote code execution. INVT Electric’s mitigations for these vulnerabilities are not yet available. In the meantime, the NCCIC recommends a series of defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities.

How Do Attacks against Utilities Work?

A Cisco blog post explores the stages used in an attack against a utility, which the author notes can take many months to execute. These stages include gaining a point of entry, conducting reconnaissance, and executing lateral movement and exfiltration which, according to the blog post, can enable attackers to gain access to ICS and SCADA files and workstations. The blog post lists a series of measures for mitigating against these security risks, which include employing two-factor authentication, effectively managing all assets, and limiting access to applications to only trusted users.

NCCIC Technical Alert – Major Online Ad Fraud Operation “3ve”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) has issued an joint Technical Alert with the FBI about a major online ad fraud operation, which they refer to as “3ve.” According to the Technical Alert, 3ve created fake versions of premium websites and visitors to those websites, funneling the advertising revenue to cyber criminals. 3ve obtained control over 1.7 million unique IPs by leveraging victim computers infected with Boaxxe/Miuref and Kovter malware, as well as Border Gateway Protocol-hijacked IP addresses.

Justice Department Issues Indictment of Iranian Men for SamSam Ransomware, Discusses Tactics Used in Campaign

The U.S. Department of Justice reports two Iranian men have been indicted on charges of having executed the 34-month-long international computer hacking and extortion scheme involving the “SamSam” ransomware. The six-count indictment alleges that the two men, acting from inside Iran, created the first version of the SamSam in December 2015, and developed refined versions in June and October 2017.

Securing Devices during Holiday Travel

As the holiday season begins, many people will travel with their mobile devices. Although these devices - such as smart phones, tablets, and laptops - offer a range of conveniences, users should be mindful of potential threats and vulnerabilities while traveling with them. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages users to review tips on Holiday Traveling with Personal Internet-Enabled Devices and Cybersecurity for Electronic Devices.

Schneider Electric Modicon M221 (ICSA-18-324-02)

The NCCIC has released an advisory on an insufficient verification of data authenticity vulnerability in Schneider Electric Modicon M221. All versions of this product are affected. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause a change of IPv4 configuration (IP address, mask, and gateway) when remotely connected to the device. Schneider Electric recommends a series of mitigations to reduce the risk. The NCCIC also recommends a series of defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities.

Teledyne DALSA Sherlock (ICSA-18-324-01)

The NCCIC has released an advisory on an stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Teledyne DALSA Sherlock. Version 7.2.7.4 and prior are affected. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could crash the device being accessed; a buffer overflow condition may allow remote code execution. Teledyne DALSA recommends users upgrade to Sherlock Version 7.2.7.5 or later. The NCCIC also recommends a series of defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities.

Pages

Subscribe to Cybersecurity